Lothrop Turner Holmes was born in Plympton, MA on March 29, 1824, son of Martin and Mary Turner Holmes. He married Elizabeth Howland Washburn of Kingston on June 4, 1848, and died on October 3, 1899. According to an obituary notice published in the October 14, 1899 issue of the Old Colony Memorial: “Mr. [Lothrop T.] Holmes was born [sic] and spent most of his life in Kingston, except when following his trade, a molder, [in an iron foundry] at Providence, R.I. He also worked at factories here [Kingston?]. Mr. Holmes was for many years superintendent of Evergreen Cemetery, resigning a few years ago. He lived a quiet life, and was respected by the community at large. He was passionately fond of instrumental music, the banjo being his favorite. Mr. Holmes was a widower, his wife having died several years ago. He was a mason.”

No mention was made in his obituary of his talent as a carver of hunting decoys for which he became a celebrated figure among antique collectors in the 20thcentury. Adele Earnest in the Art of the Decoy wrote: “The most sophisticated carver of the nineteenth century was undoubtedly Lothrop T. Holmes of Kingston. Holmes’ merganser decoys are a legacy any man would be proud to leave. The sensitive modeling and brushwork of these birds resemble the exquisite rendering of waterfowl on Chinese scrolls . . .”